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At the back of the French cruiser, Algerie? I'm thinking they may either have something to do with minesweeping or hydroacoustics. Or do they serve some other purpose like speed or depth determination? They are painted somewhat like the discs we used in fisheries to assess the clarity of water.

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I think they're for easier location if something/someone goes overboard. Also for floatation. Forget what they're called. They can be dropped from the bridge, like a quick-release lifebuoy. That much easier to find the location after turning around, especially in crappyconditions.

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I'm gussing the idea is to crane the plane onto the catapult after extension?

The main cranes are centrally located and likely for the boats. There appears to be a small collapsible crane to one side, but looking at the ramp, the spotter plane, likely a Arado 196, might have been manhandled onto the catapult.

Also note there appears to be no hanger, so the aircraft might have been stored on the catapult. As the Arado had folding wings, it would have been easy to slide one out of the way to maneuver the other into launch position.